Kemi Adetiba Shares How Nigerian Customs Officers Tried To Extort Money From Her

Living in Nigeria is such a frustrating experience that we wonder how many of us get by in spite of the wahala. Kemi Adetiba shared her harrowing experience at the Murtala Muhammed International airport, and it is annoyingly relatable.

Ace filmmaker, Kemi Adetiba narrated her experience at the hands of crooked airport officials on her Twitter page, and it’s as messy as you can imagine. Anyone who has used a Nigerian airport knows how some of the officials shake down passengers for money.

On her way back from delivering a keynote speech in Paris, Kemi was harassed by airport officials who wanted to extort her for no reason at all. On top of the unwarranted search conducted on her luggage, one of the officials also refused to address her – and instead talked to her male companion.

My flight from Paris was delayed for almost 6 hours yesterday. If I thought that was the worst my day could get, I was wrong. I got back into Lagos at about 2am and this is where a series of unfortunate events unfolded… Right there at MY country’s airport.

Going through immigration& picking my luggage was a relative breeze. As I approached customs, I knew all would not be well as I saw a lady’s eyes light up like I was a fowl approaching a den of hyenas. I was still a good distance away when she beckoned for my porter and I to pull

aside. Now I had only been gone a week (to give a KEYNOTE speech) and then took out a few days to rest before returning to Nigeria, so I didn’t do any shopping asides a bottle of perfume I had bought for a friend. Mildly irritated, I stepped aside and reached in my bag to get my

She asked to open all the bags, but not finding anything, zeroed in the perfume gift and my small travel speakers. She asked I show her an invoice for the speakers. I told her I no longer had it, and asked her WHY as it was a personal item. By the way this lady’s name is “Ojo”

I said, duty on a personal/used item? She starts getting nervous. She goes back to the perfume and asks I open it. That’s when my patience starts to wear thin and I FIRMLY told her I would NOT open the bottle of perfume as it was a gift. Luckily my friend with me was present at

Demands an invoice for it. Friend reiterates that it is a personal USED belonging. She insists on an invoice, I insist she joking and she can call her supervisor. She starts getting nervous as she sees I’m ready to take this to the end and will not be shaken down for money.

He asks for the invoice for the speaker. My friend again points out that it is a personal item. Just the same way he shouldn’t ask for the invoice of my laptop, why is he asking for this one. I give him the speaker to inspect.

Each time I try to add to the conversation concerning MY speaker with my male friend, he eyes me and RUDELY says, “Madam.. WE are not talking to you.” Like it was a man’s club and I wasn’t invited to participate. Meanwhile on MY property oh.

My friend asks a valid question, “why didn’t you ask for the invoice of my laptop or my phone” man couldn’t answer. He obviously knows he’s been caught out but still dancing around not wanting to lose face. Ms Ojo has fled completely.

“Madam I was not talking to you. I am talking to your friend.”I reiterate AGAIN at this point that the item in issue has NOTHING to do with my friend. We didn’t travel together. It belongs to ME, yet he still insists on dealing with my friend on the matter instead?

He calls my friend aside and ask him why I am taking down his name. Their shake down ends 10 seconds later and they want us to go. If they had good intentions, why wrap it up as soon as you see me taking down your name.

The government really needs to do something about customs officers as you leave the airport. Not all custom officers are bad (I have met some very pleasant ones) but there are very bad eggs that use the power to shake weak people down for money.

We all know this happens yet nothing is done about it. I was speaking to an expatriate just hours before in Paris and he was complaining about his treatment at Nigerian airports. At every single stop, they try to get money off him by cuddle or by force. Corruption has eaten…

Women who have had altercations with Nigerian men can relate to this. In this brazen dis. of sexism, a typical Nigerian man refuses to speak to a woman, a person like him, either because he “has her type in his house” or “he would rather speak to a man like himself”. At any rate, Kemi made her way out of the airport without dropping a penny.

In the words of Chinua Achebe, “Being a Nigerian is abysmally frustrating and unbelievably exciting”. Granted, we have jollof rice, afrobeats and small chops to keep us happy on good days. However, when Nigeria decides to strike, no amount of international goodwill or delicious food can help. Now, add in the misogyny of our widely sexist society to the mix, and you have the recipe for living a nightmare.

Kemi is not the first to experience this, and we hope the responsible parastatals reign in their officers. Well, this is Nigeria sha, we won’t hold our breaths.